In spite of great talent and charming personality, the wonderful actress Geeta Bali ji ended up acting in a lot of low budget films, many of which have been forgotten with the passage of time. Some references on the internet suggest that her difficult financial conditions and need to support the family was main reason behind this.
Laalten (1956) was one of such films where she was paired opposite the great actor Motilal sahab. It’s music was composed by Hemantda and once again we have Geeta ji singing as many as six films for this film. She sang two solos and four duets. Out of the four duets, one was with S Balbir sahab , the rest three were of course sung by Hemantda himself.
Hemantda himself sang one solo for this film which has become famous among music lovers for it has a reference to keeping the photo of Geeta Bali in the pocket.
Here are those six melodious and enjoyable songs of Geeta ji from this film. Actual videos of none of the songs are available but we consider ourselves lucky to be able to listen to these rare and lovely songs.
1) Agar pyaar mein muskuraaye na hote –
This is the best song from the album where Geeta ji pours her heart in this melancholy. The lyrics of the highest order by Kaif Irfani sahab, fine music and singing with all the feelings – all these make it a memorable presentation
2) Kabhi akad kar baat na karna humse are mawaali, ek nazar mein humne tumko dil ki Dilli de daali –
The same Kaif Irfani sahab now pens a light hearted romantic-comic song. The composer-singer and Geeta ji make this such a lovely fun-filled enjoyable song.
3) Lo aaya Johny laalten-
This seems to be the title song about some vendor of lanterns penned by Indivar ji.
4) Oh Lilli Lilli Lilli –
A fun-filled duet with S Balbir sahab. Again Kaif Irfani sahab shows his versatility. Geeta ji was so well-versed with these comic styled songs.
5) Maine tujhe pukaara, tu bhi mujhe pukaar
Again a highlight song of the film, penned by Shewan Rizwi sahab. An emotionally charged song sung so well by Hemantda in his deep voice and Geeta ji who has always excelled in soulful songs.
6) Dil ka tattoo ad jaata hain
Another romantic-comic song penned by Indivar ji and sung by Hemantda and Geeta ji. Among all the songs of this film, this is rarest song which was recently found on youtube.
Riyaasat (1955) was a costume drama film starring Mala Sinha and Mahipal. It’s music was composed by Avinash Vyas ji and lyrics were penned by Prem Dhawan ji. Geeta Dutt ji was a favorite singer of Avinash ji (in Gujrati as well in Hindi). She sang two solos and two duets for this film.
1) So bhi jaao mere armaano, yaad aao na gujre zamaano – A soulful sad song in the form of lullaby
2) Aisi nazre naa daal, kar le khayaal (duet with Mohd Rafi sahab)
It has been seen several times that Avinash ji would use a tune from his Gujrati song into a Hindi film song. We do not know if he composed any song on the same tune in Gujrati before 1955, but years later he used this tune in Gujrati for a song sung by Asha ji. The song is “navi te vahu na hath ma rumal” – for the film Man No Manigar (1977). This song can be heard here
3) Aaye ji aaye , din pyaare pyaare aaye (duet with Madhubala Jhaveri ji)
We did not have an audio for this rare song. We are grateful to our friend Gurcharan Sandhu ji for sharing this extremely rare song with us. This song is based on the original Gujarati Amirbai Karnataki ji and Madhubala Jhaveri ji duet:
‘Aavi re aavi haath maan aavi maaraa sasraa ni chaavi…’ from the Gujarati film ‘Naag Devta’ (1955) with Music and lyrics by Avinash Vyas ji.
4) Naacho rum jhum, naacho dhinak dhin, baar baar aaye yeh khushiyon ke din
All the songs are very enjoyable. No wonder Avinash ji and Geeta ji were a wonderful composer-singer team who gave us many such melodious songs.
Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to our friends Shri Girdharilal Vishwakarma ji and Chetan Vinchhi for providing rare songs and relevant information.
Geeta ji was one of the truly gifted, talented and natural singers who continued to sing traditional and modern style songs with equal ease. The journey of her career from the mid forties till the fifties is one of the most interesting aspects for her fans. Today we are presenting 20 rare songs, one each with a playback singer who belonged to the vintage era. She did not get to sing with a few greats from this era (Saighal sahab, Noor Jehan ji, Kanan Devi ji and Pankaj Mullick sahab) but did sing with several others.
The above photo is one of the rarest occasions where so many great singers are on the same stage: A rare photo of all the singers together in the early years of their singing careers ! ( front row) Zohra Jan, Rajkumari, Amirbai Karnatki, Hamida Banu, Geeta Roy (later Geeta Dutt), Lata Mangeshkar, Meena Kapoor, (and standing behind) Sailesh Mukherjee, Talat Mahmood, Dilip Dholakia, Mohd. Rafi, Shiv Dayal Batish, G.M. Durrani, Kishore Kumar and Mukesh.
Song with Khan Mastana sahab, one of the most popular singers of the 40s :
1) Main bhi jawan gori tu bhi jawan : Shaadi Ki Raat (1950) MD: Pandit Govind Ram, Lyrics : Sarshar Sailani
Song with Parul Ghosh ji, one of the most popular singers of the 30s and 40s :
2) Aajaa ri nindiya aaja, Film : Nai Maa (1946), MD : Pandit Hanuman Prasad
Song with Ameerbai Karnataki ji, one of the most popular actor/singers of the 30s and 40s :
3) Door Desh Ka Raja (with Mohd Rafi sahab) – Veer Babruvahan 1950 – Chitragupt
Song with Arunkumar Mukherjee ji, one of the very popular singers/composer of the 30s and 40s. This is the only song she sang with him. She sang a few songs for him as a composer in the fifties also :
4) Sundari lo sundari (with Kishore da): Film – Samar (1950) – Bengali MD: S D Burman
Song with Rajkumari ji, one of the most popular singers of the 40s :
5) Neelkamal 1947 -Maa ne bheja dhor charaane dhor le gayi -MD : B. Vasudev , Lyrics – Kidar Sharma
Song with Sulochana Kadam ji who later on became famous lavani singer Sulochana Chavan :
6) Tera bachpan gaya hain beet – Film : Laxshmi Narayan (1951), MD – S N Tripathi and Lyrics B D Mishra
Song with Surendra Nath ji, one of the most popular actor/singers of the 40s :
7) Dil Ki Dunya Main – Meri Kahani (1949) Music K.Dutta..
Song with Ashok Kumar ji, one of the most popular actors from the 30s to the 90s :
8) Sapera been bajaayo re : Film – Padmini (1948) MD: Master Ghulam Haider, Lyrics: Wali sahab
Song with Zohra Jaan Ambalewali ji, one of the most popular singers of the 40s :
9) Oh pardesiya oh rasiya : Film – Dil ki Basti (1949), MD : Ghulam Mohd, Lyrics: Khumar Barabankvi
Song with Meena Kapoor ji, her close friend and a living legend :
10) Aayi milane ki raat : Film – Jalte Deep (1950), MD : Sardul Kwatra, Lyrics: ?
Song with Khayyam sahab one of the most accomplished composers :
11) Teri jaat hain akbari -Film – Heer Ranjha (1948), MD – Sharma ji and Verma ji, Lyricist – Wali sahab
Song with Binapani Mukherjee ji :
12) Geeta Dutt , Binapani Mukherjee : Meri aankhen chham chham : Film – Leela (1947) MD : C Ramchandra, Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
Song with Hameeda Bano ji, one of the popular singers of the 40s :
13) Do roz ka jalwaa hain: Film – Rajput (1951), MD : Hansraj Behl, Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
Song with Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish sahab, one of the popular composer/singers of the 40s and 50s. Geeta ji was his favorite singer:
14) Nazdeek naa aana : Film – Bahu Beti (1952), MD : S D Batish, Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi
Song with Shankar Dasgupta ji :
15) Suraj jaaga, dharati jaagi, bhaaga ghor andheraa re” film Anjana (1948), composer D C Dutt, lyrics Bharat Vyas
Song with C Ramchandra/Chitalkar ji, one of the most popular composers of the 40s and 50s :
16) Dilon ke melon kaa naam picnic: Naadan (1951), MD : Chic Chocolate, Lyrics : P L Santoshi.
Song with Suraiyaa ji, one of the most popular actor/singers of the 40s :
17) Preet ka naata jodnewaale : Film – Afsar (1950), MD : S D Burman, Lyrics: Pandit Narendra Sharma
Song with Shamshad Beghum ji, one of the most popular singers of the 40s and 50s, a living legend :
18) Geeta Dutt , Shamshad : Oh gori tera baanka chhaila : Film – Actress (1948) MD : Shaymsunder , Lyrics: Raja Mehendi Ali Khan
Song with G M Durrani sahab, one of the most popular singers of the 40s :
19) Naazuk dil hain tod na dena – MOVIE.- DIL KI BASTI (1949), LYRICS. – SHAKIL BADAYUNI, M/D. — GHULAM MOHHAMAD.
Song with Paro ji :
20) Kabhi yeh saath naa chhoote (with Mohd Rafi sahab) : Film – Kisi Ki Yaad (1950), MD : Hansraj Behl
Song with Punjab Koyal “Surinder Kaur” ji – one of the most popular singers of the 40s
21) Keh do keh do kaali kaali : Film – Khamosh Sipahi (1950), MD : Khwaja Khurshid Anwar, Lyric: D N Madhok
Song with Naseem Beghum ji and Munawwar Sultana ji (singers from the 40s)
22) Jab chaand jawaan hoga: Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Beghum, Naseem Beghum, Munnawar Sultana
Bairam Khan (1946), MD : Ghulam Haider sahab, Lyrics: Wali sahab
Acknowledgments:
We are grateful to our dear friend and mentor Dr Mahesh Kumar Sagar for his research on Geeta ji and her songs from the 40s and 50s.
Waheed Dehwar ji is a good friend of us and another fellow Geeta ji fan. He hails from Quetta, Pakistan and has a great collection of many rare songs of Geeta ji, especially from the early phase of her career. He has recently shared a short snippet of a lovely song ”Madhuban mein mohe na bulaao Shyaam” of young Geeta Roy. It seems like this was a non-film song recorded some time in the 40s.
We request music lovers to share full audio of this rare song.
Thanks in advance.
* This post was originally posted on December 20th, 2010. We lost some pages due to technical issue. Now we are in the process of re-publishing these articles.
Geeta ji was supposed to make her acting debut with the Bengali film which was titled as Gauri in the year 1957. We have already put together all the details about this film on our website here “Geeta Dutt as an actress”
We had been searching the audios/videos of any song recorded by Geeta ji for this film for a very long time. Finally, thanks to Shri Suresh Chandvankar ji and SIRC (Society of Indian Record Collectors), we are able to listen to one song “Jaani Bhromora Keno” recorded on the 13th Nov 1957.
Lyrics :-
Jaani, Bhromora Keno – KothaKoyna!
Jaani, Mahua Keno – Matal Hoyna!
Padma-Phota Jheel – Rodey,
Sudhu Jhilimili-Jhilimili Kore.
Tobu Keno Aankhi Jhore,
Sudhu Jhor-Jhor-Jhor-Jhor Jhore?
Amie Sudhu Jaani,
E Mon Keno – Ghore Royna!
Krishnachura, Haoar Sure,
Sudhu Jhiri-Jhiri-Jhiri-JhiriDole.
Ki Ek Pakhi, Sune Daake,
Sudhu ‘Chokh-Gelo!’ ‘Chokh Gelo!’Bole.
Amie Sudhu Jaani,
E Jwala Keno, Prane Shoyna!
Translation :-
I know, Why The Bee, Speaks Not!
I Know, Why The Mahua PlantDoesn’t Get Sot!
The Lotus-Adorned Lake, Shines InThe Sunlight.
Yet, Why Do Tears Flow Down FromMy Eyes?
Only I Know, Why The Mind WishesTo Be Free!
In Tune With The Wind, TheKrishnachura Plant Swings.
Hearing The Tune, A Bird SingsOut, ‘Chokh Gelo! Chokh Gelo!’
Only I know, Why I Can’t TolerateThis Pain Any More!
Note :-
‘Chokh-Gelo’ is the name of a bird (Hierococcyx varius), derived from the seemingly ‘Chokh-Gelo! Chokh-Gelo!’ (My EyesAre Gone! My Eyes Are Gone!) sound that it makes. The name of this bird hasoften been used in romantic songs. ‘Pee Kahan’, a similar onomatopoeicexpression, used in various songs, relates to the same bird.
The same song was later on recorded by Burmanda in his own voice.
He also used the same tune for the song “Jaani tum toh dole dagaa daike” sung by Lata ji for the film Dr Vidya the same year.
It is interesting to note that even though Geeta ji had sung the original song for Gauri, she was no longer the singer of choice for the same tune for Dr Vidya. Even when she did sing another song for the same film, a duet with Asha ji.
This was a nine minute long song which never got released on the records, and hence not known to many music lovers. One wonders why Burmanda chose not to give the song “Jaani tum toh dole” to Geeta ji ?
Acknowledgements:
We are indebted to Suresh Chandvankar ji (Secretary – Society of Indian Record Collectors) for the rest of our lives for sharing this rarest of the rare gem with us. Many thanks to our dear friend Gajendra Khanna for making it available within hours after getting it.
We are grateful to our dear friend Sounak Gupta for helping us with the lyrics and translation of the song.
If there is any female playback singer other than Lata Mangeshkar that I am a big fan of, it has to be Geeta Dutt. I must admit that I have only discovered her fairly recently. I mean I always enjoyed listening to her popular numbers like Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo (Howrah Bridge) or Babuji Dheere Chalna (Aar Paar) or the all-time classic like Waqt Ne Kiya (Kaghaz Ke Phool), but in my mind the image of Geeta Dutt largely remained that of a singer who excelled in only one kind of genre – the club song – with a few sprinklings of pathos-ridden songs here and there.
And, boy was I wrong! As I listened to more and more of her songs, I realized that her repertoire is so wide that it is difficult to slot her into a particular genre. That’s what I mean, when I use the word ‘discover’ in her context.
I am presenting below some songs that I have discovered only in the last 4-5 years, but which have left an impression on me for varied reasons. They are relatively less talked about or even heard, cover different genres and styles and are beyond her usual hits i.e. those from Guru Dutt films or those composed by S. D Burman, O. P Nayyar and Hemant Kumar.
Barkha Ki Raat Mein He Ho Ha (Sardar, 1955, Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’, Udhav Kumar)
What an infectious song! The joi de vivre captured in this composition comes alive in Geeta Dutt’s voice. I can never get enough of this song. If I play it once, it ends up being played several times in a loop.
O Raja Re Mujhe Apni Bana Le (Leela, 1947, C. Ramchandra, Qamar Jalalabadi)
This is one of the few solos that C. Ramchandra composed for Geeta Dutt. What a delightful song! Hear the way she renders the words “O Raja Re” – pleading and seducing at the same time!
Mujhe Huzoor Tum Se Pyar Hai (Son of India, 1962, Naushad, Shakeel Badayuni)
Naushad hardly ever used Geeta Dutt’s voice, and this is the only full-fledged song he gave to her (the earlier song she sang in Dillagi can best be classified as a song-let). Geeta Dutt’s rendition oozes romance with just a modicum of seduction sprinkled in.
Here is the film version of this song
And here is the full audio of the same song
Dil Lagana Tu Kya Jaane (Commander, 1959, Chitragupta, Sarshar Sailani)
Chitragupta was one composer who exploited Geeta Dutt’s expertise in various genres to the fullest, giving her all variety of songs though the 50s. This club-style composition from Commander has Geeta Dutt written all over it.
Sun Le Zameen Aasman Ke Khuda (Nek Khatoon, 1959, Jimmy, ?)
Complaints to God are usually composed in a maudlin, mostly melodramatic fashion. That’s what makes this song different. I would love to see the situation of this song as this is composed like a dance song. Geeta Dutt does complete justice to the contrast in subject and form.
Dilbar Se Pyar Chhupane Mein (Inquilab, 1956, Hansraj Bahl, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan)
In this song, Geeta Dutt sings for two on-screen characters. Filmed as an exchange between two friends, this song has a certain cuteness that is difficult to resist.
Thi Aur Mulaqat Wo (Nirmal, 1952, Bulo C. Rani, Moti B. A)
Bulo C. Rani is another composer whose collaboration with Geeta Dutt was nothing short of magical. Nirmal is his lesser known film with some lovely Geeta Dutt songs. The high point of this romantic song from Nirmal is when Geeta Dutt renders the second stanza. The variations in the word ‘jhulaoon’ are simply a class apart.
Ankhiyon Se Need Chura Re (Bhool Bhulaiyan, 1949, Bulo C. Rani, Rajinder Krishan)
Another Bulo C. Rani beauty set to a simple, but catchy rhythm. From the words the song seems like depicting the first realization of love by the character. Geeta Dutt adds a distinct charm to this song by accentuating the new-found longing of the character as she lingers on just a little longer on the word ‘haaye’.
This effect of a moving train is masterfully created by Gyan Dutt in this song. The ease of Geeta Dutt’s rendition is perfectly in sync with the gay abandon with which Rehana dances on screen.
O Pagle Manwa Rota Hai Kyun (Bheeshm Pratigya, 1950, S. K Pal, Manohar Khanna)
While most people tend to unfairly stereotype Geeta as a singer of sad and devotional songs in the early part of her career, it cannot be denied that her sad songs of the era have a quality that comes straight from the heart. This song from Bheeshm Pratigya is quite rare, but deserves a much wider appreciation.
I hope you enjoyed the above selections. By no means do they represent what I would consider Geeta Dutt’s best or even a list demonstrating her width and depth. But they are certainly songs that deserve to be heard.
Acknowledgements:
We are extremely grateful to our dear friend Aditya Pant from Ghaziabad for paying tribute to Geeta ji’s lesser heard gems through this post. Aditya’s interests and knowledge in Indian film music has great variation and depths. He also has his own blogpage Urge to Fly dedicated to his passion about music and beyond. The URL is here
It may have been nearly four decades since Geeta ji silently left for the heavenly abode but She has indeed never left our thoughts. Such was her mastery over her art that She can never disappear from our collective consciousness. Her voice had multiple facets and that rare ability to convey all merely by inflecting its pitch or tone. Her range is immense which can mesmerise anyone, totally capturing one’s attention and finally giving the listener an adrenaline rush like no other singer can. It is often that the nectar in her voice has had that effect on me.
I have a special fascination for the phase when She was still Geeta Roy, the singer who rose like a meteor and captured the imagination of a generation gone by.
And the song I listened to is by this very seductress.
The song stopped playing long ago but its strains still reverberate in my ears.
The honey of her voice will stay with us for ever.
After all, this was sheer magic. Hearing the song makes me miss her so much. And it is indeed ironic, that the song I heard is from a movie called “Kisi Ki Yaad”. The lyrics, composition and her singing have created a gem to cherish.
The mellifluous lyrics are by another genius long buried in the sands of time. He is the one who’s name means Pearl. Yes, it is Moti B.A. and his work complements another half-forgotten genius Hansraj Behl, who gave us many gems.
The song is “Tadapta Chhod Kar Mujhko Kahaan Tum Reh Gaye Pyaare”.
It was probably picturised on Sulochana Chatterjee’s character in the movie who is lost in the memories of her beloved. This kind of thoughts were to be Geeta’s life in the years to come. But Geeta didn’t need to go through that to lend her magic touch to the song. Come, lets see her glide through this tune.
The wonderful prelude doesn’t give half an inkling of what’s to come. The Young Geeta Roy takes charge of the situation from the word go, as She intones.
Tadapta Chhod Kar Mujhko Kahaan Tum Reh Gaye Pyaare, Kahaan Tum Reh Gaye Pyaare
Waah, Waah! Trust Geeta to give the right stress to each word and conveying the thoughts going on in the deep recesses of the heroine’s mind.
There is this discomforting ‘tadap’ in Tadapta and the feeling of separation in ‘chhod’. When She says Mujhko, it feels that all this is happening to me and when She inquires ‘Kahaan’, the mind wanders searching for where the beloved is. And the beautiful way in which She sings Pyaare. Oh, how in a word She manages to convey how deeply loved is he!
Chale Aao Bulaate hain Yeh Aansoo Dard Ke Maare, Yeh Aansoo Dard Ke Maare
With what elegance and sweetness She calls the beloved. Which beloved wouldn’t come if She called like this, with tears spawned by supreme sadness. The ‘pain’ in dard is unmistakable.
Oh Mujhko Bhoolne Waale O Mujhse Roothne Waale,
How elegantly She refers to the one who has forgotten her, probably angry over some small lovers’ tiff.
How innovatively,here, She conveys how the beloved is missed. Yes, indeed on listening, one can’t fail to realise how miserable are the poor moon and even the stars.
And again She goes in the same adorable tone,
Chale Aao Bulaate hain Yeh Aansoo Dard Ke Maare, Yeh Aansoo Dard Ke Maare
before She sings,
Mohabbat Karne Waalon Ko Nahin Kyon Chain Milta Hai
These kinds of lines would have been in so many songs but the effect She produces here has to be seen to be believed. One actually wonders, why the ways of love take away the peace.
Wahaan Tum Ho Yahaan Hum Hain Jeeyen Kaise Bata Jaa Re, Jeeyen Kaise Bata Jaa Re
Its absolutely heart rending, the manner in which She questions the separation, asking how can She live with this. It is even more amazing how She conveys how far apart the two are. ‘here’ and ‘there’ were never felt so “far” before.
No one will doubt on hearing this line that indeed life is not worth living in this state.
Tadapta Chhod Kar Mujhko Kahaan Tum Reh Gaye Pyaare, Kahaan Tum Reh gaye Pyaare
Dreamily, She calls him yet again. He mustn’t have heard else he would be here in a trance, I am sure.
Lagaaye Aas Baithi Hoon, Jalaaye Hoon Shamaa Dil Ki,
The heart burns as She narrates how the hope of return still burns in her mind and the fire burns. The way She stresses on Lagaaye, Jalaaye, Shaama, Dil all in the same breath is a sorceress at work!
O Mujhko Bhoolne waale Iddhar Bhoole Se Aaja Re, Iddhar Bhoole Se Aaja Re
Another awe-inspiring line. Nobody can show such a ‘bhool’ in two ways when She sings Bhoolne and Bhoole. Oh, won’t the beloved come by mistake just once?
Tadapta Chhod Kar Mujhko Kahaan Tum Reh Gaye Pyaare, Kahaan Tum Reh Gaye Pyaare
And suddenly comes this last line of the song filled with the same jamboree of emotions, one calling the beloved, another showing the pain and worry about where the beloved is.
Finally, I am left wondering thoughtfully, My life would have been incomplete without listening to this. This rainbow of talent alone could have produced this magic of a song. If only, She had sung this song to her real-life beloved and brought him back before it was too late. The film world would have been different perhaps.
By- Hildebrand
P.S. Thanks from the bottom of my heart to M.L. Kapur ji for taking the song out of his “vault” and Prof Surjit Singh ji for sharing it with us on his website. You both are one in a million.
* This post was originally posted on Monday, November 21st, 2011. We lost some pages due to technical issue. Now we are in the process of re-publishing these articles.
